Wellingborough schoolchildren to receive Fearless.org awareness training

Hundreds of schoolchildren in Wellingborough will be taught about subjects ranging from crime reporting to fire safety to gang culture as part of a new education programme.

 
Pupils at six primary schools in Wellingborough have signed up to the programme, which will see youngsters receive sessions touching on issues to do with community awareness, personal responsibility and being a good citizen.
 
The Good Citizen programme is being launched this month by the joint Arson Task Force (Northamptonshire Fire and Rescue Service and Northamptonshire Police) and is supported by partners including the Wellingborough Safer Stronger Neighbourhood Partnership and the Wellingborough Community Safety Partnership.
 
The programme includes Northamptonshire Police’s Blue Butterfly project, which teaches children to speak to trusted adults when they have experienced situations such as domestic abuse.
 
It will also include sessions on arson prevention, fire and road safety and the teaching of lifesaving skills such as CPR, and work will also be carried out to raise awareness of Fearless, Crimestoppers' youth service, through which young people can learn more about recognising criminal activity and report information anonymously.
 
Shaun Johnson, of the Arson Task Force, who is leading the organisation of this programme of work, said: “There are wide-ranging reasons why we are choosing to run this project in Wellingborough, but ultimately we hope our work with young people will help to boost awareness of subjects such as gangs and knife crime, as well as how to recognise the signs of criminal grooming and the consequences this can bring.
 
“The subjects we are dealing with will cover so many aspects which are important to young people keeping safe in today’s world, including practical details about keeping safe on the roads and how to recognise when a situation of abuse is happening and how to know who to talk to about that.”
 
There will also be support from The Solomon Theatre company, who will be performing the drama ‘Safe’ in primary schools, which raises awareness of bullying and knife crime.
 
In addition, three secondary schools in Wellingborough will this month also receive performances of a drama called Skin Deep, by the same theatre company, which deals with racism, gangs and criminal grooming.
 
The Good Citizen programme has been made possible thanks to funding and sponsorship from the Percy Hoskins Award (established in memory of the late Daily Express crime reporter), Crimestoppers in Northamptonshire and the Borough Council of Wellingborough.
 
Mr Johnson said: “We would like to say thank you to all our sponsors for their generous funding in enabling us to do this work. This project will cover such vital issues for young people in Wellingborough, and we hope it will have really positive results in enabling schoolchildren to protect themselves and to consider the community around them.”